Lee Stempniak & Geordie Macleod named 2013 J.R. McCaig Award winners

CALGARY, AB -- The Calgary Flames Hockey Club is proud to announce that Lee Stempniak and Geordie Macleod are this year’s recipients of the J.R. McCaig Award. They will receive their awards this evening in a ceremony prior to the Flames game against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Flames lost owner J.R. Bud McCaig six years ago following a lengthy battle with cancer. Mr. McCaig was a long time member of the Flames family and a great contributor to the Calgary community. The J.R. McCaig Award honours two Calgary Flames personnel, a player and staff member, who best exemplify Mr. McCaig’s enduring virtues of respect, courtesy and compassion for all individuals he encountered both in his professional and everyday life.

“Congratulations to Geordie and Lee, two very deserving recipients of this year’s J.R. Bud McCaig Award,” said Flames President & CEO Ken King. “While it’s on this occasion every season that we celebrate Bud’s life through acknowledging individuals who share his qualities, we take great pride in knowing that all members of our staff and hockey team strive everyday to live up to his moral character and principles. Bud ensured that everyone he encountered left his company with their lives enriched by his kindness, integrity and respect.”

Geordie Macleod joined the Flames organization in September of 2006. As Director of Game Presentation, Geordie’s reach encompasses the Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Roughnecks and Calgary Stampeders. He has also been a key part of many large scale events, most recently with the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship and 2011 Heritage Classic. His creativity, innovation, and leadership have helped the Flames set a new standard of excellence when it comes to in-arena presentation. This was no more evident than last summer, when the Flames were awarded the top prize for “Best Overall” Game Presentation at the 2012 IDEA Conference, competing against professional teams from all over North America. Geordie’s commitment to the Flames is admired by all those who call him a friend and a co-worker. His honesty, humor, knowledge and love of our game are seen on a nightly basis, in everything that he produces for sports fans in Calgary. Born and raised in Kamloops, BC, Geordie, his wife Kristal and their daughter Isla now call Calgary home.

Lee Stempniak is in his second season with the Flames after joining the club in the summer of 2011. A seven year veteran of the NHL, Lee started his career with the St. Louis Blues after being selected in the 5th round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played for Dartmouth College where he majored in economics, was a two time All-American and led the Big Green as team captain. As a pro he has also played for St. Louis, Toronto and Phoenix before calling Calgary home for the past two years. Lee has become a trusted and respected leader by all his teammates both on and off the ice. This season he is second in team scoring with 23 points from 7 goals and 16 assists. Beyond participation in Flames community relations programs and Flames Foundation for Life events, Lee volunteered as the chair for the Flames’ Reading…Give it a Shot! program which encourages literacy for students through a reading incentive program. Lee and his wife Lindsay met while attending university at Dartmouth College.

The recipients of the J.R. McCaig Award receive a limited edition bronze entitled RESPECT that depicts a cowboy showing his appreciation and respect to his horse by loosening the cinch, removing the bridle and allowing the horse to drink from his hat. The bronze was sculpted by Cochrane, AB artist Diane Anderson.